Determinants of the economic adaptation of refugees: the case of Midyat Camp

Abstract

In the context of the bottom-up approach to development and poverty reduction, this is the first study to use the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA), with a slight adjustment, to study the economic adaptation of refugees within camps. The objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting the economic adaptation of refugees in Midyat Refugee Camp in Turkey. The study used a focus group to help design the questionnaire that was subsequently used to collect data from a sample of 393 households in Midyat Camp. The data was used to estimate a Structural Equations Model. The findings indicated that the most important factors in determining refugees' economic adaptation are human capital, social capital and institutions.